


Hunt Me

by crystallized-iron (Somiko_Raven), Somiko_Raven



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Death, Human/Vampire Relationship, M/M, Murder, Non-consensual Transformation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Vampire Erik Lehnsherr, Vampire Hunter Raven | Mystique, Vampire Hunters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:33:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23306122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somiko_Raven/pseuds/crystallized-iron, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somiko_Raven/pseuds/Somiko_Raven
Summary: It had been a quiet night that was disturbed by a novice hunter on a mission. Erik managed to escape and conceal himself in a small house. He planned on killing the human inside, until he saw him.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, Raven | Mystique & Charles Xavier
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

Breathing in the cool night air, Erik picked up the scent of humans, food, and less savory smells. None of it surprised him. That was just city life.

His hands settled in his pockets. He looked like any other man, taking a casual stroll down the sidewalk at night. Upon closer inspection, one would find his skin to be very pale, sickly even, but his build opposed the idea of weakness.

He spotted an alley coming up. Erik glanced around before turning into it. It was a quiet evening. Uneventful -

He paused, eyes narrowing. One of the humans was following him, he could smell it. Was it _just_ a human? Or was it something more?

Erik resumed his walk. The human kept pace, even as he went onto the street.

Looking towards the sky, Erik scanned the rooftops. His eyes found nothing amiss from the ground. He needed to trust that observation.

He heard the faint click.

Too close. Too public. New to the game.

Moving forward, Erik focused on the building ahead of him. He was almost there.

Just a few more steps -

The pop of a gun sounded behind him. A tiny bullet zipped through the air.

Erik leapt to the side upon hearing it. He faced the hunter as the bullet embedded into the wall. This hunter was smaller than the ones he dealt with in the past, leaner. _A woman?_

She readied her next shot, but Erik jumped onto the wall and climbed, sharp claws digging in. Another pop and a few seconds later the next bullet whizzed past his head.

Erik lifted himself onto the roof and ran to the other side, jumping the gap to the next building. She climbed after him and gave chase. From one rooftop to the next, their speed seemed almost matched, but Erik was still faster.

He rushed down a fire escape. The metal grates posed an obstacle for his pursuer. But just as he reached the ground, something grazed his bicep. It burned and sizzled and he clasped a hand to it. “Fuck!” Fucking silver bullets.

And she was coming. Her steps sounded on the grates, her scent irritated his nose.

Erik retreated down another alleyway, sprinting all the way and across the next street. He slipped between an apartment building and a closed laundromat. After taking a second to breathe, he went behind the laundromat and onto the first road he found.

He checked his arm as he walked. The wound was beginning to heal but his jacket and shirt sleeves were ruined. Luckily the distance between him and the hunter was growing, but he still needed a place to lay low.

He came to a small neighborhood. The houses had dull siding, chipping roofs. Tiny pots of flowers and other plants littered the sides of a few of the walks.

And then he found what he needed.

The days had been growing warmer and so open windows were common, but what he found was an open door, letting in the welcomed cool air.

Erik crept to the entrance and peered in through the screen door. The light was off in this room, but there was one on in the next. He could make out enough to see it was the kitchen, could smell the human inside.

Well, a quick meal would be good.

Trying the screen door, Erik opened it with ease and stepped inside. It was shut again with gentle care.

He slinked through the room and approached the doorway to the kitchen. Calm and even breathing reached his ears. Erik poked his head into the room and found the human, a male, asleep at the kitchen table. His head was on a notebook while his hand held limply onto a pencil. There were other papers, letters, and books scattered across the table. A cup half full of… _something_ sat next to his notebook.

Erik walked up to the human. His eyes could trace the lines of blood vessels in the human male’s hand, arm, neck. It would be so easy.

Turning the young man’s head just enough to see the face beneath the soft brown hair, he found pouty dark pink lips set in a truly handsome face. But when the male began to stir, Erik let go and retreated into the shadows of the hall just as the pretty face thumped onto the wooden table.

“Ah, what -” The human opened his eyes and looked around in a tired daze, pencil dropping to the floor with a clack. He looked at it for a second but then sighed and pushed his chair from the table. “What time is it?” he asked the room, standing and rubbing an eye with a hum.

From his place in the shadows, Erik saw the vibrant blue of the young man’s eyes, and his desire to kill faded. He watched the human turn out the light and then go into the front room. The shutting and locking of the door could be heard.

Erik backed himself down the hall as the human unknowingly joined him, stopping at a room to his left with a yawn. He flipped on the light and then paused, turning his head in Erik’s direction, but Erik was already in another dark room. The human looked confused, glancing into the room Erik had gone to, but then turned and walked into the bathroom. “I must be seeing things, thinking there was someone there.”

Erik let out a breath. He hadn’t been caught. Then he checked where he was. There was a bed by the window. A dresser with a mirror that had photos in the frame. A couple more books on top of the dresser itself.

He was in the bedroom.

“Shit,” he muttered, the running water from the faucet hiding his voice as the human prepared to clean his teeth.

Where was he going to hide now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on [tumblr](https://crystallized-iron.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Beta'd by [daydreamerdisease](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamerdisease)


	2. Chapter 2

Luck was on Erik’s side that night. The human had gone straight to bed without switching on the light. This allowed Erik the opportunity to watch him sleep and admire his beauty. He was careful not to touch, certain that the human would wake if he dared.

But temptation was winning, and he found himself reaching toward him. It did not need to be much. He could even sneak a taste of blood, surely. Just a little.

The human shifted on the bed. Erik held his breath as he watched him roll onto his back, then relaxed in slumber once more. Erik exhaled. Distant admiration it was then.

A loud beep made him leap from the bed, heart pounding frantically in his chest. With a groan, the human sat up. “Damn it.” He patted the sheets in search before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He pressed a couple times on the bright screen and the beeping ceased, the room returning to silence.

He stretched, the bottom of his t-shirt riding up. Erik swallowed and stepped as far back as he could, but then the human turned his head toward him and froze.

Their eyes locked. Erik tried a smile. “Good morning.”

“What the fuck!” The human reacted on instinct, throwing the phone at the intruder. It flew and hit him before dropping to the floor with a thud, the screen cracking.

It was not an unexpected reaction. After all, even the vampiric influence, no matter how strongly used, could not prevent it.

Erik’s eyes went from the phone back up to the human’s face, staring into wild blue eyes that refused to look away.

“Get out!”

The shout made Erik blink and return to the present. “Ah. Right.” He did not move from his spot.

“I said get out!” the human snapped. “Or I’ll -”

“Call the cops?” Erik bent down and retrieved the phone. “With this?” No reply came so he took a step forward and placed it on the dresser. “Look,” he said, looking up to find those eyes so focused on him, “I am not going to hurt you. Alright?”

“Then get the fuck out!” the human exclaimed. He grabbed his pillow and hurled it at Erik. It struck and then also fell to the floor.

“Are you done?” Erik asked. “What more could you possibly have to throw?” He watched the other glance at the books on the dresser. “Now, let’s not get too crazy.”

“But you are still here.”

“I really am not going to hurt you.” He took another step closer. “If I was, you would have been dead hours ago.”

“Hours ago?!”

Erik shrugged. “The door was open, you were asleep. So I snuck in.”

The human pressed himself against the wall. “Why didn’t you kill me then? Why are you even still here? Surely you would have found what you needed by now!”

With another step that put him right by the bed, Erik told him, “I am in hiding.”

The beautiful eyes narrowed. “Hiding?”

“Yes.” Erik used the vampire influence to try and calm him. He watched as the human’s muscles began to relax, his breathing slowing. “Someone is trying to kill me. I ran here.”

“Will they kill me too if they find you here?”

“They might try.” Erik knelt in front of him. “But if you let me stay, I will protect you.”

“You can protect me from the people you ran from?” the human questioned with a quirked brow.

Erik frowned. “I was caught off-guard. She didn’t smell like the others.”

“What?”

“I only grew suspicious when I knew she was following me.”

“What are you even talking about?”

With a sigh, Erik said, “Oh, where do I begin?” He peered into the human’s eyes again. “My name is Erik Lehnsherr.”

Folding his arms, the human said, “At least you told me _something_.”

“Yes I did. Now your turn. What do I call the beautiful creature before me?”

“Beautiful creature?”

“Yes.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

He lightly chuckled. “If you really think so, then you can replace my phone for me.”

“And I will,” Erik promised. “Now your name. Please.”

“It’s Charles,” he told him. “Charles Xavier.”

“Charles,” Erik repeated with a grin. “I like that. It is perfect for you.” He moved to sit next to him on the bed. “Charles Xavier, I have something else I must tell you now.”

“And what would that be, Erik Lehnsherr?”

“You are not speaking to a human.”

Charles lowered his arms and looked Erik over. “Excuse me?”

Erik grasped Charles’ hands in his, watching the other’s eyes widen upon feeling the chill of his flesh. “I am a vampire.” Charles tried to pull away but Erik kept him mostly in place. “I am not going to hurt you, Charles.”

“Let go of me, Erik,” Charles said, giving his arms a tug.

But Erik twisted him around and pulled him closer, his chest pressed against Charles’ back, his arms wrapped around the other man. “Relax, Charles. I won’t bite unless I need to.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Charles tried to break free but he couldn’t.

The vampire hummed. “I already promised not to hurt you, but if you keep fighting, I will have to break that promise.”

Charles shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut. “If you don’t want to hurt me, Erik, then please just let me go.”

“I can’t trust you not to do something stupid. It would cost you your life.”

“Erik, please. Let me go.”

“I could use my power more,” Erik mostly said to himself, “but then we would be approaching territory I am uncomfortable with.”

“Then don’t! Just let me go.”

“If I let you go, will you promise to not be stupid?”

“I -”

“There is a hunter out there, Charles. A novice, but she’s out there. You would be a witness, and they cannot have that. Do you know what that means?”

“Erik…”

“It means you would be dead, Charles!”

Erik released him and Charles fell forward. Hunters, vampires, what the hell… He spun around with a glare. “None of what you are saying makes any sense!” He swung a fist at Erik that landed on the man’s shoulder. He didn’t even try to avoid it. Charles got up from the bed. “Fuck.” He turned toward Erik. “So now I have a target on my head because of you? I’m going to _die_ because of you?”

“Not if you aren’t stupid,” Erik told him.

“And what would you consider not stupid?”

Erik stood and stepped toward him. “Telling people you have someone that believes they are a vampire in your home.”

“So you admit you are not one.”

“I do not. But I’m sure you do not believe me yet, and that is what a nonbeliever would say.” He reached out and took a gentler hold of Charles’ hand. “Anyone can be a hunter, Charles, just as anyone can be a vampire. Look far enough into your own ancestry and you might find both if they left any evidence of their true natures.”

“I highly doubt that,” Charles muttered. “And your hand is freezing.”

“A sign of vampirism, my beautiful creature.” He held Charles’ hand to his cheek, the skin colder there. “We are not very warm.”

Charles stared at his face. “You almost look dead. So little color to your face.”

“Vampirism steals a lot from you,” Erik murmured.

As he pulled his hand away, Charles asked, “What else would be stupid?”

“Mentioning my name.” He thought about it for a second. “Actually, do not mention me to anyone, at all.”

“Did you give me your real name?”

With a small smile, Erik said, “I did. Foolishly. But you, Charles… You are special.”

Charles shook his head. “I’m really not.”

Erik cradled Charles’ head with his hand. “Special enough to catch my eye and keep my attention.”

“You said you need a place to hide.”

He moved closer, pulling Charles in as well. “And I need you.”

“You don’t need me,” Charles whispered, their lips close.

“Actually I think I do need you,” Erik told him, closing the distance with a kiss.

A kiss that was ended within seconds when Charles pushed him away.

With a pout, Erik pulled his hand away. “Fine. Not yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on [tumblr](https://crystallized-iron.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Beta'd by [daydreamerdisease](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamerdisease)


	3. Chapter 3

“Damn it.” She pulled off her hood, blonde hair falling around her shoulders. The vampire got away. She had been so confident in her abilities after completing her training, but it was nothing like chasing the real thing. The encounter left her down two bullets and no kill to show for it.

With a huff, the young woman retrieved her phone from her pocket and checked her location. Well, since she was in town… maybe she could stay with her brother for the day and try again that night.

She put the phone away and started walking.

* * *

The sound of running water crashing against skin and the fragrance of the shampoo and body wash reached Erik’s senses while he waited on the old couch in the living room. His fingers twitched. A fantasy of Charles, naked, dripping, needy, came to his mind and he inhaled sharply.

But then something broke the dream. A smell that made Erik’s eyes narrow. He knew that scent now.

He looked at the front door just before hearing the knock.

The hunter found him.

* * *

There was no answer at first, so she tried again, fist pounding on the door. “Are you still in bed, Charles?” She considered grabbing her phone to try calling him but then it opened. “About time.”

Charles smiled at her, but the expression appeared forced. His hair was still damp, a few drops falling, and he only had a pair of jeans on. “Sorry, Raven. I wasn’t expecting you today. Nor really ever anymore.”

“Well, I was in the neighborhood today and decided to stop by.” She watched him look over the room. “Is something wrong?”

“No… not wrong.” He allowed her inside and shut the door.

“Did you lose something then?” Nothing appeared out of place. Not that she would know.

“Uh, no. I don’t think so.” But he did give the room another quick glance around.

Raven walked further into the room, her hand resting on the back of the old couch. “Maybe instead of a thing, you lost a person?” she asked with a look at her brother.

She did not expect the hesitation, the nervous swallow. “No.”

“Oh, Charles.” She faced him. “Did you get lucky last night?”

His face colored. “Not really.”

“But someone was here. Maybe is still here?” She grinned at him. “Are they hiding? Is that why you’re so nervous?”

“Raven -”

“Please tell me they aren’t married. You don’t need that kind of drama.”

He shook his head. “It isn’t anything like that.”

“Come on, let me meet them! I won’t judge, you know I won’t.”

“Stop. I’m going to get dressed.” He started to leave but stopped. “And please, do not go wandering around my home.”

“Aw, you don’t want me to find your secret lover, Charles?”

He rolled his eyes and walked into the hall.

* * *

Where was Erik? Charles peeked into every room he passed, but there was still no sign of him. Was it a dream? Was he losing his mind?

He walked into his bedroom. The phone with the cracked screen still sat on his dresser, exactly where Erik had put it, but everything else felt too normal. Was there another explanation to any of this?

He went to his closet and pulled the door open, spotting the vampire staring up at him. “Fucking hell!” he exclaimed with a startled jump. His heart pounded. “Erik!”

The vampire inhaled and blinked, waving back. “Hey.”

Charles couldn’t help pouting at him. “You…” He heard someone running their way and he slammed the door shut. He turned and leaned his back on it as Raven appeared in his bedroom doorway.

“Charles, what’s wrong?”

“Hi. Nothing is wrong. See?” He gestured vigorously around his room. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

She stepped closer. “Your voice is shaking.”

“Is it?” A laugh made its way out. “Well, how about that?”

“What are you hiding?”

He chewed his lip. He did not want to betray Erik’s trust, but this was Raven. Before they grew distant, they could tell each other anything and everything. He had to hope he could still trust her now, with something like this. “Alright. I will show you, but you have to keep him a secret. No one can know he is here.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my god, Charles. You fucked a space alien, didn’t you?”

The question was so random, he didn’t know what to say at first. “You watch too many movies.”

“I do not. Now show me.”

He took a breath and opened the closet door, revealing Erik to her. “This is my… visitor.”

Erik and Raven stared at each other. She pulled out her gun, aimed it at Erik's face, and hissed, “Vampire!”

“Wait, wait, you know what - why do you have a gun?” Charles questioned her.

“Why do you have a fucking vampire in your closet?” she snapped at him.

“Why do you have a fucking _gun_ , Raven?”

“Because of creatures _like him_!”

“Raven, you are _not_ shooting him!”

“I have to.” She glared at Charles. “He is my mission.”

“What mission?”

Something long, thin and gray flew at Raven from the closet, others following its lead, wire hangers wrapping themselves around her wrists, binding them together to prevent her from actually firing the weapon. As she struggled to free her arms, more came out to do the same to her ankles and she lost her balance, falling to the floor with a yelp.

Erik came out of the closet. “I did tell you, Charles. Anyone can be a hunter.”

“What are you doing?” Charles asked. “E-Erik, what are you -”

His hands rose and Raven was lifted to the ceiling by the hangers.

“Stop it, Erik!”

He glanced at Charles for only a moment before returning his attention to Raven.

“Let her down.”

“I think I prefer her up there, actually.”

“Erik!”

His hands began to close and Raven gasped as the hangers tightened. “Drop the gun.” When she struggled instead, they pressed harder until the gun finally fell. Erik caught it, but immediately handed it to Charles. “There are silver bullets in it.”

Charles took it from him and pointed it at the floor. “Now let her down. Nicely.”

Erik listened, easing her to the floor, a tremor in his arms.

“Let her go. She is my sister.”

“Your sister?”

“Yes.”

Erik sighed, the hangers dropping to the floor, leaving behind indentations on the skin of her wrists.

Charles knelt beside her. “Raven, are you alright? Does anything hurt?”

She rose to her knees and made a grab for the weapon, but Charles held it out of reach, tossing it into the hall. “Charles, he has to die,” she told him.

“No killing in my home, Raven.”

“Then kick him out so I can finish this!”

There was movement and Charles looked up to see Erik leaving the room. There was something off about the sight of him. Something not quite right, and it felt troubling. “Why do you need to kill him so badly?”

“He is my mission.”

“You said that. But he seems pretty harmless to me.”

“Harmless? Did you not see what he did to me?”

“Did he really hurt you?”

She paused. He could have killed her in seconds. Could have thrust one of those hangers right through her throat, or strangled her, or so many other things. But he didn’t. “No.”

Charles stood up. “I’m going to check on him. You can have your damn gun back, but don’t you dare try to shoot him.”

“Until I have to,” she muttered.

* * *

Erik fell onto the old couch in the living room. His body was weak. Earlier’s wound from the silver sizzled on his skin.

Using his ability had been a risk, but he hoped it would accomplish more. He would have gone for a kill if he wasn’t already so worn out.

He needed blood, desperately needed blood. But the heavy tiredness in his body would make any hunt incredibly messy. Accusations that he had fallen to his most basic nature would flare up, and if he did survive this night then he would be hunted down by more than just Raven and her kind. Vampires would be on his tail as well. A vampire over the edge of need never came back from that point. A mindless killer, always looking for _more, more, more_.

“Erik?”

He looked up into those bright blue eyes. “Charles.”

“You look terrible.”

“Thank you.” Erik managed a light smile. “You look wonderful.”

Charles rolled his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Raven walked into the room and gave Erik a quick lookover. “He is about to lose control.”

Erik said nothing, his eyes trailing the lines of blood vessels, their presence becoming more obvious the closer he fell to that edge.

“When he does, I am going to kill him."

“No you will not,” Charles told her.

“Ah, beautiful creature,” Erik spoke, “soon enough, it will be absolutely necessary. And even if she doesn’t, then someone else will. I would have broken vampire law.”

Raven folded her arms. “You never bit Charles, did you?”

Shaking his head, Erik told her, “No.”

“You came here hurt. I know I hit you. Why didn’t you attack him?”

“He is… special. And then I promised not to hurt him.”

“That… that is true,” Charles said. He placed a hand on Erik’s arm, but pulled it back when the vampire hissed in pain. Looking at the arm, he found the burns that seemed to be worsening as he watched. “Erik, what do you need?”

“Oh, my beautiful creature, what do all vampires need? Blood. I need blood. Hunting while in the presence of a hunter though isn’t the best idea.”

Raven approached them. “I almost don’t want to, but even you know it has to be done now. Why wait until you fall?”

“You are not killing him,” Charles stated.

“He agreed that it’s become necessary.”

“It hasn’t. Not yet. Not today.” He touched Erik’s shoulder and gazed into the blue-gray eyes. “Break your promise to me. Take my blood. Take as much as you need.”

“What about your sister?”

“She will not do anything to you as long as you are here. Just don’t kill me.” His hand moved up to Erik’s face. “You can stop yourself, right?”

The rushing of blood pumping through the course of the body filled Erik’s ears, and it only grew louder as Charles sat beside him. Lines of blue and red were just below the surface. He thought he could hear words being spoken, but they sounded so far away. A sudden chill rippled through him and he knew it had to be now.

He pulled Charles to him, breathed in his scent, and then bit. Fangs pierced the flesh and the sweet taste of warm, fresh blood filled his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on [tumblr](https://crystallized-iron.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Beta'd by [daydreamerdisease](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamerdisease)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long delay. To talk with me about story progress and other things, follow the link at the end to my tumblr.

The burns on his arm left by the silver bullet began to slowly heal, but with every swallow of Charles’ blood, the speed of recovery quickened. His strength returned. He no longer felt so sluggish, so exhausted. The hunger quieted.

He could feel the presence of every piece of metal on the property, could trace it outward like the veins of a living organism.

Erik released Charles, needing to calm himself. The power he could have if he simply drained the human of every drop he had… But that was not what he wanted. He could not kill the beautiful creature, not before they ever had a chance to be.

He glanced at Charles and found the young man staring back. His bright blue eyes were wide as his fingertips ghosted along the mark Erik left behind.

Erik reached out his hand to cup the side of Charles’ face, the young man letting out soft gasp at the cool touch. “Thank you, Charles.”

“You needed it.” A light caress of his cheek from Erik’s hand and Charles’ skin, paler now due to Erik’s drinking, flushed pink.

The vampire then turned his attention to Raven. She had no weapon drawn, but that could change any second. “What will you do now?”

Her eyes locked onto his. “I should kill you.”

“But?” he asked, knowing there had to be more.

Raven looked at her brother with a frown. “I know he consented to this. I could argue that you forced him against his will…”

Charles peered up at her.

“... but I know how he is,” she finished. Her eyes narrowed at Erik. “I will still kill you. Just not while you are under his protection.”

The vampire smirked. “I will keep that in mind then.”

Her fingers twitched. “Don’t make me change my mind about this.”

“Raven, stop.”

She turned to Charles again. “I am _trying_.”

“I know, and I thank you. But he really has not done anything to warrant such action.”

“He is a _vampire_ , Charles. You should know what they do. You finding him attractive doesn’t make him any less of a monster.”

Charles stood with a slight sway. “Please leave.”

She blinked at him. “What?”

“If you are going to keep being like this to my guest, then please leave.”

She sent a sharp glare at Erik. “You’re turning him against me!”

Erik merely shrugged. “I am doing no such thing.”

“Liar!”

“It isn’t him,” Charles snapped. “I know what I am saying. I know what I am doing. He is not controlling me in any way, and I want you to leave, Raven.”

“You want to throw me out?” Her hands clenched into fists. “You’re sure you want to do that?”

“I am.”

Raven shook her head. “You are going to regret this, Charles.” Her eyes flicked to Erik. “And you are going to pay.” She marched to the door and pulled it open. “I do wish you the best with your life, brother… but you’ll see your error soon enough.”

Once the door shut after she left, Erik stood. Staring up at him, Charles said, “I didn’t like what she was saying.”

“I know.” Erik walked to the door. Raven was already gone, and he could not detect anything unusual outside, but he still locked the door. “Open it for no one.”

“Are you serious?”

Erik glanced at him. “You don’t know the threat she just said to you,” he muttered. “To us.”

Things were going to get ugly if they stayed. It was time to return home. It would not be the safest place for Charles, but it was going to be better than what would happen if he stayed here to be found by other hunters.

“Pack a few change of clothes,” Erik told him. “The faster you get it done, the better.”

* * *

Raven pushed open the doors to the office building that housed the vampire hunter organization hours later, the sun having long since set.

She passed Jean and Scott in silence and ignored their greeting, climbing the staircase to the next floor. She walked down the following corridor straight ahead to the boss’s office.

Raven paused at the door, took a deep breath, and then turned the knob.

The room was dimly lit by two lamps on either side, no windows in sight. In the center of the room was a large wooden desk, and sitting at his chair was the man himself.

He stared up at her, pen held completely still in his hand over a half filled document. “Yes?”

Raven approached him. “I found my target,” she said, “but I couldn’t take him out.”

The pen was placed neatly on the desk. “How many hunts have you done now, miss?”

“It was my first.”

His eyes narrowed. “Who was your target?”

“Erik Lehnsherr,” she told him.

The man’s lips quirked upward. “Lehnsherr? No wonder you failed.” Pulling open a drawer, he found the file he wanted and took it out. “Be glad you are still breathing. He is not one for rookies.” The file was placed on the desk. “Who gave you the mission?”

Raven glanced at the file with the vampire’s name. The fading photograph attached at the top showed a much younger Erik, but it was still certainly Erik.

But wasn’t it impossible for vampires to age?

“Miss -”

“Quested,” she finally answered, lifting her gaze from the file. “Janos Quested gave me my mission.”

“Well. I suppose I will be having a talk with him then.” He looked up at her. “No disciplinary action will be taken for failing if you go back down for training for a month.”

“A month? But I almost had him!”

“But you still failed, so -”

“I know where he is.”

The man sighed. “How long do you think he will stay there?”

“A few days. A week maybe.”

“Alright. Take Summers and Grey with you then. But if he is gone by the time you get there, three months of training.”

“Thank you, Mister Shaw,” she said and she turned to leave.

“Xavier.”

She paused, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. “Yes?”

“Bring Lehnsherr in alive.”

Raven glanced back at him, but then left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on [tumblr](https://crystallized-iron.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Beta'd by [daydreamerdisease](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamerdisease) and [Ria_Grey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ria_Grey)


End file.
